Fourth Wing Complete Series Recap / Summary

 

Fourth Wing Recap / Summary 

I have made no secret of the fact I have a horrible memory and completely forget important book details when there is a long wait between book releases in a series. I would always go back and reread previous books each time a new one would drop and it got a little exhasting. I've since started making myself recaps - I've done them for series like Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, Crescent City and Red Rising. Now I'm starting Fourth Wing, it only seems right to do them for it too as there's quite a few more books to come.

I do chapter by chapter ones as I need to give myself as much detail as possible. They may be too detailed for some, but I share them in hopes they are useful to some. 

Fourth Wing Recaps:

Fourth Wing
Iron Flame
Onyx Storm

Fourth Wing Recap / Summary

Chapter 1: It's Conscription Day at Basgiath War College. Violet Sorrengall is on her way to her mother's office, who is General Sorrengall who is in charge of the College. She has spent 6 months doing physical training to prepare for the day.

Story takes place in Navarre. Thousands of 20 year olds have shown up for Conscription Day in the quadrant of their choice - either a Infantry, Scribe, Rider or Healer. 

Violet was originally going to be a Scribe, like her deceased father, but her mother insists she has to be a Rider. Most prepare their whole lives for that and she has only had half a year.

Violet's sister Mira has shown up, she is 26 and a Rider, and is arguing with their mother to not make her go for the Rider Quadrant, as she believes Violet will die.

All Navarrian officers spend 3 years at the college in their chosen quadrant. Their enemy is the Poromiel kingdom that has gryphons and gryphon riders.

Violet's mother was sick when she was pregnant with her - and it appears that Violet has always had some kind of health issue because of that, although it isn't immediately made clear what that is.

Mira and Violet had a brother who was also a rider, but he was killed 5 years ago fighting Tyrrish rebels.

Mira gives her better equipment and boots that aren't smooth on the bottom, as they will grip better as she makes it over the parapet, which is the first test she will face.

Facts we learn about Violet here - she has been with two men in her life so far and her hair naturally fades to silver at the ends.

The Riders quadrant has less rules than the others. Riders can kill each other at any time. And not all dragons are willing to bond to a rider so competition is fierce. Riders can't attack while one is sleeping - that is an offence that will get you killed.

Mira advises her to find Dain Aetos who is a current second year and someone Violet has been friends with since childhood, but has often wondered about them being more. 

The parapet is a very narrow stone bridge leading to the citadel that the rider quadrant is kept in. It is up extremely high and they must cross it as their first task. 

Children of rebels, known as separatist children, have been given marks as punishment for their parents crimes. They are known as relics that were given by a dragon. Seem to be like tattoos.

Mira warns her to stay away from Xaden Riorson, who is the son of Fen Riorson (aka the Great Betrayer who led the rebellion). All children of rebels were conscripted as punishment and they thought he'd die, but he made it and was chosen by a dragon and is now a wing leader. She warns he will kill Violet when he realises who she is.

Meets two people on way up to the parapet - Rhiannon Matthias and Dylan. Violet swaps one of her boots for Rhiannon's after she notices hers have the same slippery base Mira warned her about. Dylan dies trying to get across but Rhiannon makes it. 15% of candidates usually die during this trial.

She sees an incredibly attractive man taking names before the trial and quickly learns it is Xaden, who is instantly hostile when he learns who she is. Violet's mother executed his father, but his father killed Violet's brother. 

It begins to rain - making the crossing harder.

Chapter 2: Meets another candidate, Jack Barlowe, who mocks her and attempts to push her off but misses. Repeats facts to herself as she crosses - a way to info dump to us but I only made note of the fact the continent is made up of 2 kingdoms that have been at war for 400 years. Navarre is bigger and made up of 6 provinces.

Jack shoves off the boy coming behind him and then speeds up to push Violet to her death next but she makes it across and then threatens him with a dagger.

Chapter 3: Violet sees Dain, who she notes has got more attractive. Dain is a squad leader, the highest rank you can be in second year. He wants both her and Rhiannon in his squad. 

Riders gain magic once a dragon chooses them - as they channel their power to their rider.

Dain takes her to his room so she can wrap her knee - as she hurt it when she tripped on the parapet and banged it on the stone.

Dain tries to have her leave for the scribe quadrant as he believes she will die, but she knows her mother won't allow it. It appears Dain believes the dragons will see her as weak, again hinting at some kind of chronic illness.

301 cadets made it across and 67 died.

Commandent Panchek is in charge of the Riders Quadrant - but it is noted he aims to take Violet's mothers job before then going after General Melgren's. But Melgren's dragon gives him the ability to see the outcome of any fight before it happens.

They will face many more challenges before they reach the Threshing and then after that those left and chosen by a dragon will become riders. Only about 25% of them will survive.

Nyra is senior wing leader and head of First Wing.

There are three squads in each section and three sections in each of the four wings,

Rhiannon and Violet get chosen for Second Squad, Flame Section, Secon Wing - which Dain is in charge of. Xaden is in charge of the Fourth Wing and after he speaks to Nyra, she moves Dain and his section to Xaden's Fourth Wing.

Your squad are those who aren't allowed to kill you, but everyone else can.

8 dragons fly up and land on fortress walls. Dragons and humans work together because they get signet abilities from bonding. Once a rider bonds to a dragon, they can't survive without their dragon but a dragon can live just fine without their human.

Three people run scared from the dragons and are then burnt to death by them - they don't like weakness.

Chapter 4: They now stand to listen to them read out the names of those who died. Violet has a silver star on her uniform that signals she is a first year and a Fourth Wing patch too. She was put in the first floor dorms, Jack is on the third.

They will begin sparring twice a week. In two months they will do Gauntlet, which is an obstacle course they have to scale. If they make it through that they will get to the flight field for the Presentation, where dragons willing to bond will get to see them for the first time. Two days after that is the Threshing. 

Sawyer is a boy in their squad who is a repeat - it means he made it through the previous year but no dragon wanted to bond with him.

Dain signals for her to meet him to talk. She asks why they were moved to Fourth Wing - he admits it is known by everyone that Xaden wants her dead.

Xaden's dragon is a Blue Daggertail called Sgaeyl and other dragons avoid her as she is so dangerous.

Once a rider is bonded they can do lesser magic like open doors and other things. A riders signet power is their strongest and unique to the bond with their dragon. Violet's mother can use the power of storms. Dain can read a person's most recent memories when he touches them but his is a classified ability that not many know about.

Xaden sees them together and calls out their closeness in front of other people. Dain tells Violet to run and she does.

Chapter 5: Violet is in Battle Brief, taught by Professor Devera.

They get up to date briefings every day. They learn that there was an attack in the east by a drift of Braevi gryphons and riders. Gryphon, like dragons, can also channel magic to their riders. But dragons have the unique ability to power wards that prevent all other magic being used. But those wards had gone down during the attack, allowing the enemy to use magic. 

Have them ask questions about the attack. Violet, trying to keep a low profile, asks Rhiannon to ask what altitude the village was at. But she gets called out for it and told to ask the question herself next time. She asks a few more questions and correctly deduces that they knew the wards were failing before they went, which is why reinforcements arrived so quickly and spared more deaths.

Sparring is being taught by Professor Emetterio. Sawyer and Rhiannon make a deal with Violet, to help her with sparring if she helps them with history.

Jack kills a first year by snapping his neck.

She's made to fight a second year called Imogen, who say Violet's mother murdered her family. She tries to stab Violet but the armor she's wearing saves her life. Imogen gets the advantage and ends up snapping her bones.

Chapter 6: Dain carries her to the healers. He lost it when she was hurt - shouted at her to yield and then carried her away and now people know she is important to him. Healers have no magic so heal the regular way. Healing signets are very rare, Brennan was one. 

Her shoulder is dislocated and one of her arms is broken.

To avoid confusion, I looked up what condition Violet has. It is never explicitly stated but she has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a condition that Rebecca Yarros has. It affects the body’s connective tissue.

Mira has a scribe sneak a note and journal under her pillow. The journal was their brothers, who gave it to Mira when she joined the college. She has added to it, and it gives all the knowledge both of them learned while at the college.

Chapter 7: Violet has been sneaking out at night to find stuff to help her in upcoming Challenges. She will have to face off against another cadet, but the journal has helped her learn of ways she can find out in advance who she will face. She has a book of poisons and has been sneaking out to find different ingredients.

She is up a tree collecting berries when two people hidden beneath cloaks stop below it - they are Imogen and Xaden. More people show up - all have rebellion relics. There is at least 24 of them. The rules state that rebels can't be in groups bigger than three, which is why they are meeting up in secret.

She needs to hear what they are saying so moves down lower. They are talking about helping the first year rebel kids make it through and survive. 

One asks when they will get to kill Violet, Xaden says she is his and he will kill her when the time is right. 

Imogen is being made to do dish duty for a month by Dain for what she did. She says she should have done worse as Violet's mum is who executed her sister and mother. They point out her mother is responsible for almost all of their parents being caught and killed.

Someone named Garrick says punishing a child for what their parents did is not what they should be doing, as it is exactly what was done to them.

She waits after they all leave to climb down but is caught by Xaden.He knew she was there as his signet allows him to command shadows. She throws two daggers at him, he says she missed but she points out she hadn't. Purposefully threw them so they'd land either side of his head. He tells her to do that to Jack at some point and maybe he'll stop threatening to kill her.

He asks if she plans to report what she has seen and she says she doesn't. He asks why, she says because all he was doing was helping them. Says if she keeps her word then he will owe her and then he leaves.

Chapter 8: She knows her first challenge will be against Oren Seifert. She now does morning duty in the kitchens and she sprinkles a powder of dried berries over his food the morning of the challenge. 

There are different breeds of dragons like Green Daggertails and Red Scorpiontails. Red Scorpiontails anger easily. Only 100 dragons have agreed to bond this year so far, which is less than the previous year.

Dragons can talk but only do so with their rider. They also only share their entire name with their rider.

Xaden's dragon is the rarest of the blue breeds, a Daggertail. She boned with Xaden, who is a relative of her previous rider, which is usually not allowed but she does what she wants.

There is only one black dragon besides the one General Melgren has. This one is a morningstartail. Black dragons are the rarest and one hasn't been hatched in 100 years. This dragon hasn't agreed to bond since his last rider died during the rebellion. 

The signet you get from your dragon is unique, so not the same as the one given to their previous rider. His last rider had the ability to siphon power from other places including other dragons and riders. His rider died trying to bring another rider back from death and so he burned out and died. Violet asks Professor Kaori if the person he was trying to revive was her brother and he confirms that it was. He knew both her siblings and tells her she's is smarter than both.

She is about to fight Oren, Dain warns her that he overheard that he plans to try to kill her during the challenge. She insists she will be fine. Jack taunts her again and she takes Xaden's advice and throws two daggers at him. 

She fights and wins against Oren, who is sick from the poison.

Then she does the same on the next challenge by poisoning the girl she has to fight. And then the next time by doing the same - she uses a different type each time to avoid suspicion. But on her sixth challenge, she does it too early and the girl is taken to healers so Xaden steps in to fight her instead. 

Chapter 9: They begin to fight. He keeps disarming her of her daggers and kicking them away. Refers to her by the name Violence, rather than Violet. Tells her she's smart for taking out her challengers before they even begin to fight, which shows her that he knows what she has been doing. Warns her that if she doesn't actually ever face anyone properly, then she can't learn and get better. He gets her down to the mat, advices on places to stab someone from the position. 

She asks how he knew what she was doing and he says she was too obvious with it.

She sneaks up to Dain's room that night and he massages her sore muscles. Dain has been speaking to Markham, had asked him to let her join the Scribe Quadrant and he agreed to take her.

He begs her to do it because he can't lose her. Believes the others will take her out when they go to see the dragons to present themselves to be chosen.

Chapter 10: They now get to practice on the Gauntlet - the obstacle course. They finally lose someone from their squad - Aurelie falls and dies while practising. 

Parents can come and claim the body of their child or school can bury them under a stone and burn their personal items. Aurelie's parents chose the second one, so Violet wants to go and take her things to the burn pit herself. 

Xaden sees her on the way back. She's still questioning if and when he is going to kill her. She admits she can't finish the Gauntlet as she can't scale the chimney section but he tells her she has everything she needs to get past that section.

Chapter 11: She's had 9 practice sessions on the Gauntlet and still hasn't figured out how to get through the chimney session. 

The day of Presentation, she has to make it through the Gauntlet. She makes use of the ropes to help her scale the chimney. The last section is a 10 foot wooden ramp that she needs to scale - uses her daggers for this.

Chapter 12: 169 of them make it to the end and their squad comes 11th out of 36 squads. There are only 100 dragons up for bonding. 

They've heard there is 101 dragons now, that a feathertail has come but feathertails don't bond. They walk past all the dragons and the feathertail is last - a small golden dragon. It isn't much taller than Violet and considerably smaller than the other dragons.

Wyvern are considered a story and nothing more - with two legs rather than four and willing and happy to eat humans.

One of their squad, Pryor gets burned to death by a dragon. Two green dragons approach Violet and keep sniffing her - she thinks it is due to the dragon scale armour her sister gave her that she wears under her clothes. Luca, a girl in their squad who keeps talking badly about Violet, is also burned to death by a dragon. 

Chapter 13: It is October 1st, which is always the day of Threshing. She has been wandering through the valley for a while but hasn't found any dragon that wants to bond with her. Jack, Oren and Tynan are looking for something - she realises they plan to find the golden dragon and kill it. 

She wants to find and warn the dragon, but trips on the way and injures her ankle. She finds it and tries to warn it to leave but it doesn't. Jack and the others arrive and she prepares to fight them when Xaden and his dragon appear and he warns them to rethink what they are about to do.

Chapter 14: The rules state that Xaden can only watch what they do, he can't actually step in and stop them or help Violet at all. Violet believes the golden dragon can't fly and doesn't have claws either, so won't be any help to her either.

The boys attack. She throws a knife that lands in Jack's shoulder. He is too injured and ends up running away, leavin Oren and Tynan to fight her. She manages to knock Oren out. But she gets injured and knows that Tynan can now kill her. But as he's about to, she notices that Xaden appears to be coming to help her, even though it's against the rules.

Before Xaden can interfere, the large black unbonded black dragon they were shown in class shows up. It burns Tynan to death and then tells her she should kill Oren next, but she says she can't kill him while he's knocked out. The golden dragon then flies off. 

The black dragon tells her to climb on his back and she realises he is choosing her as his rider. His name is Tairneanach and tells Violet she may call him Tairn. He takes flight but she can't get a decent grip and falls while he is in the air.

Chapter 15: Tairn catches her in his claws - she can speak to him. Gets her back on his back and tells her to hold on as they put on a show. She asks why he chose her as his rider and he says it is because she saved the golden dragon. Rider and dragon share a special bond - so he can read her thoughts. 

She has to tell the person taking roll call her dragons name, as only a dragons rider is told it. She gives Tairns name but then the golden dragon speaks to her too and tells Violet to give them her name too, which is Andarnaurram, Andarna for short.

Chapter 16: The others aren't happy - a rider has never been picked by more than one dragon before. Healers see to Violet's wounds and Jack is told he will need surgery for the shoulder Violet injured.

More dragons show up - so that they can have a meeting about what Tairn and Andarna have done. 

Rhiannon, Sawyer and Ridoc all made it and have dragons, but Trina fell from hers and died. 

Dairn comes for her and tells her she will need to choose between the two dragons and that she has to pick Andarna. He warns her that Tairn is mated to Xaden's dragon and have the strongest mating bond. Bonded pairs can't be kept apart for long, which means if she chooses Tairn than she will be around Xaden all the time. 

Xaden shows up and Dain accuses him of orchestrating this whole thing. Violet finally realises that Xaden doesn't want to kill her because he has had multiple times where he could have and hasn't. Xaden says it has nothing to do with him and that Violet is the last person he'd want Tairn to have chosen.

Xaden questions whether Dain would have broke the rules to help save Violet's life and he says that he wouldn't have. After Dain leaves, Xaden warns her that she shouldn't trust Dain as much as she does.

He tells Violet that Tairn has a strong bond with Xaden's dragon, as well as with Violet now. Losing his last rider almost killed Tairn, which is rare in dragons but can happen. When he lost his rider, it didn't just almost kill him but Xaden's dragon too. 

Each time a dragon gets a new rider, the bond between them is stronger than the last. Xaden tells her that they will have to work together now because if she dies it could end up killing him. And he warns her that those who didn't get picked by a dragon will try and kill her in the hopes Tairn will pick them as his next rider - 41 weren't chosen.

The dragons finish their meeting - as they have no law against a rider having two dragons they will allow Tairn and Andarna to share Violet.

The new riders are all given their relics and Violets is on her back. It is the black silhouette of a dragon flying, with a smaller golden one inside of it. 

Dain finds her to insist that he cares for her and would do anything to help her, even though she now knows that isn't true. He kisses her but she doesn't feel anything when he does. 

Chapter 17: Violet now has her own room, which is across from Rhiannon's - sees Sawyer leaving her room one morning.

They go for breakfast together. Soren is now being made to serve it, as he was one of the people not picked by a dragon. She also sees that Jack is being treated like an outcast by the others.

More people now want to sit and talk to Violet since she has been chosen by Tairn. Imogen says she will now help Violet to train with weights so they can strengthen her joints. She quickly realises Imogen is helping her because Xaden has told her too. 

Only 92 students got bonded to a dragons and they now have to attend flight school. Only Tairn shows up for it as Andarna is too small to have a rider. 

Violet struggles to stay on his back and he has to use some of his magic to help her stay on. 

Dain finds her to talk about the kiss - says it shouldn't have happened because, even though he wants her, it doesn't look good for her to have a relationship with someone who ranks above her. 

Violet begins to suspect that Imogen and Xaden are lovers. 

Chapter 18: A month has passed and Violet now does duty in the Archives - returning and delivering books back to the Rider quadrant. 

She asks for a copy of the book of folk tales her father used to tell her about wyvern and the venin that would ride them, but they don't have a copy - even though they have copies of most texts.

Sawyer is the first in the group to get his signet power, which is the ability to manipulate metal (Magneto style). Most get their signet power within a few months, but if it doesn't come then the magic given to them through the relic can eventually kill them. 

Dain confronts her about the fact she is still struggling to stay on Tairn without him using his magic to keep her in place. He still doesn't believe in her and it makes her mad. She essentially tells him she thinks they shouldn't be friends anymore. 

A first year named Jeremy gets the signet power of reading minds but they end up having to kill him as it is a power that drives you mad.

Violet is woken from sleep by Tairn shouting at her through their bond. People are in her room and trying to attack her. 7 unbonded students have come to attack her, including Oren. Oren grabs her and chokes her before eventually putting a knife to her throat. Violet hears Andarna shout 'Mine' in her mind before feeling a rush of power through the bond and everyone around her freezes.

Chapter 19: Andarna has frozen everyone but Violet. As she goes to leave she finds Xaden in the doorway and realises he was coming to help her. They all unfreeze and Xaden uses his shadows to choke the life out of everyone but Oren - he slits his throat instead.

Xaden checks her injuries and she has bruised ribs. Then he has her follow him through a secret tunnel so they can go and see Tairn. Xaden confronts Tairn and she realises they are talking to each other, even though dragons usually only talk to their rider.

Sgaeyl then talks to Violet - they can all speak to each other because of the mating bond that Sgaeyl and Tairn share.

Andarna explains about the freezing. Feathertails usually don't bond to a rider because they can accidentally give their power to the rider, and this power is different to the signet they give the rider. She gave Violet her power because she's still a feathertail, which essentially means she's still a young dragon at only two years old. 

Violet can now use the time stopping power too, but only briefly. If she uses it too much she could kill Andarna. 

Xaden warns her not to tell anyone about this new power she has.

Xaden wants to know how the 7 students got into her room and Violet reveals they weren't alone, that someone else let them in.

Chapter 20: Xaden tells Dain he is swapping one of their squad. He replaces Vaughn with someone called Liam, who is another rebellion kid. He has done it so someone else can look out for Violet. 

Xaden accuses Amber of breaking the rules of the Codex and letting the others into Violet's room. Dain doesn't believe it, even after Violet confirms it.

Dain tries to touch her so he can see the memory for himself but she stops him, as then he would see the power she used (Not sure why he doesn't think to touch Amber to see?)

Instead Violet has Tairn share his memories with the dragons instead so they can then share with all the other riders. Amber is then found guilty and burnt to death. 

Chapter 21: It's been a week since everything happened and Liam is still going everywhere with Violet. Liam is close to Xaden because they were fostered at the same place. Rebel kids were all sent to foster care after their parents were executed. 

Liam reveals Xaden has put wards on her door so now the only people who can get into it are Violet and Xaden.

One of the scrolls she is delivering falls and opens and she sees it is about an attack that has taken place in Sumerton. She is surprised when it is not then mentioned during Battle Brief.

Chapter 22: Two months have passed and they still haven't mentioned the Sumerton attack. 

They are taking part in sparring and she sees Xaden sparring with Garrick shirtless, she sees that his relic covers his back. When she gets closer to him, she also notices that it covers up a bunch of scars he has.

That night Violet finds herself flooded with power, as Tairn has finally decided she is ready and has started channelling power to her. But she is hit with overwhelming lust and realises it is Tairn's emotions she is feeling as he must be with Sgaeyl.

When what she's feeling almost has her making a pass at Liam, she decides to go outside for a walk to distract herself. Xaden is outside smoking something called churam, which he offers to her as he says it helps. He is also feeling the emotions from Sgaeyl.

Xaden offers to teach her how to put up mental shields to make it easier to deal with and allow her to block Tairn out when this happens. He shows her how to ground herself and he is impressed when she does it straight away, as it took him weeks to do it.

Afterwards they both give in to what they are feeling and kiss, despite both admitting it is a terrible idea. Xaden abruptly stops and says they can't because the desire she's feelings isn't hers, it is Tairns. He tells her to leave because he won't but he can't do this when it's not what she actually wants. She tries to argue that she does want it but he insists she leave so she does. 

Chapter 23: Rhiannon now has her relic - she can summon things to her which is a very rare skill that will be very valuable once she can master it.

Dain comes to find Violet and warn her about Xaden again and says that his higher clearance means that he knows things that she doesn't and she needs to be careful.

Violet finds out she is going to be fighting Jack during the next challenge and that he will definitely try to kill her. She then makes Liam promise not to tell Xaden, as he will try to stop it and it will only cause them both more problems if he does.

As she's about to fight, she finally gives in and tells Liam he can warn Xaden but does it only because she knows he won't get to Xaden in time for him to stop the fight. While her and Liam fight, he manages to get his hands on her face and she feels extreme pain as soon as he does. He is using his powers on her, which is against the rules.

She has a vial on her that she opens and shoves the contents into Liam's mouth. It is oranges, something she knows he is allergic to. 

She wakes up in the infirmary and Xaden is in the chair beside her bed. 

Chapter 24: He's angry she didn't tell him about the upcoming challenge with Jack but she points out that he hasn't really spoken to her since the night they kissed. He tells her that he doesn't want to discuss that and that it was a mistake. 

Xaden insists he will take over from Rhiannon and Liam in both training her and guarding her, as they seem incapable of doing it well.

Xaden has a bunch of daggers made for her, but in order to be able to use them she has to win them off him. So he allows her to spar him and easily disarm him of all of them so they can be hers. 

Chapter 25: They are in the final round of squad battles and they are in 7th but if Liam wins his current fight they will jump to 3rd place, which he does.

Commandant Panchek shows up and tells them that their final part of the squad battle that should take place the next day will now happen in an hour. None of them know what exactly the task will be and can't prepare for it.

The task is to work as a squad, without their squad leaders, to find the thing they decide would be the most helpful to their enemies in regards to the war. They will be judged at the end and the winning team gets 60 points, which would be enough for their squad to win. They have 3 hours to do it.

Violet's idea is to break into her mother's office as she knows that is where they keep the most important information their enemies could want. They can all use their powers, Quinn has a very useful one that she can astral project so her real body stays in one place and her astral body can go somewhere else.

They quickly make work of breaking into the office and Violet finds a letter that is begging her mother for reinforcements. Her mother has a map that shows every outpost they have and every supply route they use. They decide to steal that. 

Violet is the one who presents what they have brought to the judges and other squads.

Chapter 26: They won and their prize is to go spend a week at one of the frontline outposts. It takes them six hours of flying to get there. They have gone to visit Montserrat. Rhiannon's village is close by and she wants to sneak away to visit, even though it will get them in trouble if she is caught. Violet is happy to help her find time to go.

Mira is there and her and Violet are finally reunited. 

Rhiannon and Violet sneak out to go to her village and are caught by Mira. Mira gives in and agrees to go with them. Mira reveals she has the book of tales she wanted.

Xaden shows up at the outpost, as it seems 3 days is the most time Sgaeyl can be away from Tairn.

Chapter 27: They are all in a briefing room and going over a hypothetical situation and how they'd deal with it. Xaden is there and suddenly speaks to her in her mind - they can do it the same way their dragons can speak to the other rider. 

Dain can't stop being petty about Xaden in the room. Mira calls them outside to scold them over it. Then she warns Violet that she needs to get stronger otherwise next year when he leaves after third year, it will be Violet who misses all her training having to fly to him every few days. She believes Xaden will keep her from her full potential. Xaden points out her is here - that Tairn didn't drag her away at all and that he abandoned his post to come here to her.

The wards have gone down and Tairn tells her that gryphons are on the way to where they are. Mira tells them to leave. Violet begs her to let them stay but Mira demands Xaden proves she can trust him by getting her out of there.

Everyone in their squad flies off first and she begs Xaden for them to stay and fight. He kisses her and asks her to leave for him. Tairn is almost there and she believes he kissed her to keep her distracted until he arrives. She tells him she will hate him for it but he says he's fine with that.

Chapter 28: It's been two days since they left. She finds out Xaden is 23. When she goes to tell him her birthday, he reveals he already knows as he has done all he can to learn everything about her. He says it was because he couldn't destroy her without knowing her first. She asks if that's still his plan and he says no. When she asks when it changed, he says it doesn't matter when it happened, just that it did. He says it might've been when he saw a knife at her throat, or fingerprints on her neck or when he realised he wants to do way more than kissing her.

When Dain shows up, she finally works out how to speak in Xaden's head too. They are all waiting outside Markham's office. When he shows up she asks if Mira is alive and he eventually confirms she is.

She begins to start asking Xaden more about himself - as a way to get to know him better after Mira pointed out she doesn't really know him.

For their first round of War Games they are tasked with getting a crystal egg that First Wing are guarding in a practice fort. They also have a flag they need to defend and have to carry with them. They will keep changing who carries the flag to make it harder for First Wing to get it.

Tairn shows up and has a new saddle, which will help her stay on. Xaden reveals he had it made for her and Tairn helped design it too. Violet says she can't use it as everyone will know she can't stay on if she doesn't use it but Xaden points out most people know that already. Tells her to count it as the favour he owed her.

She sees Liam and Jack fighting - sees Jack jump from his dragon to Liam and stab Liam before kicking him off his dragon. She needs Tairn catch Liam but realises they will be too late so she finally uses Andarna's freezing power to freeze everything but her and Tairn so she can grab him in time. 

She feels her power getting stronger as she goes after Jack. She ends up sending a strike of lightning into the tower Jack is on and he falls to his death. Violet is a lightning wielder. 

Chapter 29: Violet is feeling guilty for killing Jack. Xaden tells her that she did the right thing, that Jack deserved it and that he is happy she did it. He isn't surprised she's a lightning wielder, he had suspected it.

Xaden comes to see her that night in her room - as she's still dealing with killing Jack and finding out her signet power. She feels she is now just a weapon.

She kisses him.

Chapter 30: Xaden tries to stop it, telling her it isn't what she wants but she insists that it is. They finally give in and have sex. At one one point she accidentally sets fire to her curtains with her power. Also manage to break her wardrobe and chair too. 

Afterwards she gives closer attention to the scars on his back. There are 107 thin lines on his back, which is the number of rebellion kids who carry the rebellion relic. 

He explains he was offered a deal and he took it. He had to take responsibility for all of the kids and the fact they will all stay loyal and in return they were allowed to be given a chance in the rider quadrant rather than all being executed like the adults. 

Scars were given to him as a reminder that if any of those 107 betray the kingdom then he will be killed. 

She asks him to stay the night with her and he finally relents. He warns her not to fall for him though.

She asks how he knew she was going to be a lightning wielder. He explains that the first time they kissed he thought he saw her use it but wasn't sure.

When she wakes up, Xaden is gone but he did leave her with a vase of violets.

Professor Carr is at her door, she now has to go and train with him so she can have better control of her signet power. He wants to see her wield it but she isn't sure how to do it. Only times she's used it have been times of high emotion - when she was angry about Liam and when she fucking Xaden. 

Xaden talks to her through their bond and she tells him what she's struggling to do. In answer he shows her visions of their night together through his eyes. She manages to use her power again and does it a few more times before it exhausts her, but she's not any better at aiming it when they are done.  

Chapter 31: Xaden shows up to her room as she's trying to clean up some of the mess they made, he helps her. They talk and when she feels like he's about to shut down on her again she asks him to tell her something real - asks where he went one night when she saw him leave with Bodhi. He tells her they went to Athebyne but can't tell her why.

Finds the book from her dad on the floor and that they've cracked the binding and she finds a note hidden in it. It is dated a few months before he died. He reminds her that folklore is passed down through generations to teach them about the past. He tells her it will only take one generation to change or erase history and that he believes when the time comes, she will make the right choice.

She says her father changed after her brother died. 

Some of the fables talk of dark magic that corrupted those that used it and made them into the venin who created wyvern. All the stories are about how too much power is a bad thing.

He suggests having sex again but she admits that she can't separate sex from emotions and that if they continue sleeping together, she will fall for him. He insists she won't fall for him because she doesn't know the real him yet. She says she could if he just opened up, especially since he is at risk of falling for her too but he insists he has no plans to fall for her.

She says they should chalk it up to a one time thing that they won't do again. But they both clearly want each other. She warns he can't dictate how she feels. And that they won't sleep together again until she is willing to risk what it does to her and if she falls than she will deal with it. He agrees.

They have heard King Tauri is coming to celebrate Reunification Day at the College. It's been a month since she started training with Carr. She can use more strikes now but still can't aim it. 

Xaden and her haven't given in and had sex again yet.

They are 10 days away from graduation and from Xaden getting his assignment and told where he will be stationed. She asks Xaden to take her to bed, but he tells he that he hasn't changed his mind and they can't be together.

Violet starts to worry that Xaden has been sleeping with someone else and that's why he's not given in since they first slept together 1 1/2 months ago. Asks him and he seems mad she has asked.

They are all expected at a fireworks show that night to celebrate Reunification Day. Only when she's there with Liam and sees people looking at his rebellion mark does she realise this day celebrates the day his mother was executed. She tells him to leave but he insists on staying to guard her, even when none of the other rebel kids have come. 

King Tauri shows up, standing beside Violet's mum. 

Violet and Liam slip away and she goes to find Xaden. She realises he has gone across the parapet and she decides to go over it to see him. It's a bad idea when she has to go barefoot and in a dress uniform. 

Chapter 32: She is partway across when she sees him sitting on a part of the parapet. As she makes her way towards him she realises that she's already in love with him. 

He sees her and comes towards her, mad that she's even tried to do this as she could die. He tells her to go back but she says she only will if he comes too.

She says she knows why he can't see any future with her even though she is confident he wants her too because he shows it with the things he does. She knows he worries she won't feel the same about him when she learns more about who he is. She tells him she's now ready to risk her heart.

He asks why she asked about other women and she admits she was jealous of Imogen and the way she looked at him when he was sparring against Garrick. He tells her there is no one else and that he has been jealous too - also points out Imogen was looking at Garrick and not him.

Makes him tell her when he was jealous - he admits he saw the time Dain kissed her. She's confused as she didn't think he wanted her back then but he says he has wanted her since the day they met.

She gets him to take her to his room. She helps him undress and tells him to go to sleep. She admits that she loves him. That makes him finally give in and have sex with her again. This time she manages to break his window with her powers. Even after that, they can't stop and go again and again. 

Garrick knocks and interrupts them. Something has happened and every single quadrant is being called to formation - they are under attack. 

Chapter 33: They head to formation and Violet has to wear Xaden's jacket to keep warm as she goes directly from his room.

Turns out they aren't really under attack, it is another one of the War Game tasks. They will play out the scenario as if the wards had gone down and they were under attack. Each wing will be sent to a different region and each squad will need to pick an outpost to protect. Wingleaders will be assigned an outpost as the headquarters. 

Xaden is given Athebyne - the place he went to on the secret mission Violet asked about. It will be an exercise that will take 5 days. Dain says they will claim the Elutval outpost in their region.

Andarna will come with her and Tairn. She has her own saddle that isn't for riding but will hook to Tairn's so he can carry her if she can't keep up.

Xaden comes over and tells Dain he needs Violet, that he will be taking her, Liam and Imogen as part of his headquarters squad. Dain argues and asks to keep Violet with him as she will be safer because Athebyne is past where the wards are.

Violet says if Xaden wants her with him then she will go and Dain finally figures out that there is something between them. He seems upset by it and begs her to stay as he believes Xaden will get her killed if she goes with him. 

Chapter 34: They fly to the outpost but take a short break at a lake on the way there. Xaden comes to find her and holds her hand, not caring who sees despite him saying before that whatever was happening between them would be kept hidden from others. 

He pulls her away from the others and helps massage her leg muscles as they've got sore from the ride over. Then they start kissing but a woman shows up and Xaden immediately uses his shadows to cloak Violet. It is no use though, as the person already knows who she is.

Xaden warns Violet to stay calm. When she takes a look she sees a pair of gryphon riders 30 feet away from them. The woman who spoke seems to be a few years older than Violet. Violet is about to use her lightning powers on them when Xaden stops her and tells her that she needs to trust him.

Xaden then hands her over to Liam, who pins her arms at her sides but then Tairn roars and he immediately lets her go. When Xaden heads towards the gryphon riders he chastises them for being early and Violet realises he knows them. 

Chapter 35: At the start of every chapter we get a little note from either history or notes of important people and this one mentions that on the last day Xaden's father was alive, he accused the King of something so unspeakable that they won't even bother to repeat it.

Xaden says they were supposed to meet the next day and that they don't have a full shipment for them. Violet realises he is working with the enemy and that is where he has been sneaking off too.

She has come to warn them that a horde of venin attacked of their villages a few days ago. She starts to say more when Xaden stops her - explains they can't no details in case they every get interrogated. 

After the gryphone rider leaves, Violet realises she is the only person surprised and that everyone else here obviously knew Xaden was helping them and also knew all about the venin.

Violet realises every single person with them in a child of rebel and now she believes they are all traitors. And she also realises both Tairn and Andarna knew too, even before they chose her. 

Xaden comes towards her and she tells him she will kill him if he tries to touch her. She asks what he has been giving them and he admits the shipments they give them are weapons. He says they use them to fight venin but she doesn't believe they are real. 

He tells her they are real. They are people who tapped into magic without the use of either gryphon or dragon and taking it from the Barrens, turning themselves into the venin. She realises if they do exist they don't attack them because they would be powerless due to their wards. But would also mean they would have to be unaware that those just outside are being attacked by them - Xaden points out that she could also realise that they do know and have chosen not to help.

He gives her a dagger, one that will help her defend against venin.

She's mad he hid all of this from her, she says he could have told her at anytime. He argues he couldn't and that it is a risk to tell her now because all Dain has to do is touch her and see the memory of it and then they are all screwed. 

She admits she believes him but no longer trusts him. She realises her father was sending her a message. She thinks of the Archives and how it should contain 600 years of history but all texts are 400 years old. Realises when he talked of a generation erasing history he was hinting at the fact it had been done.

They reach the outpost and find it empty. Xaden questions what Dain whispered to her and she says it was just that he would miss her. He then remembers how Dain insisted if she went with Xaden she would be killed. He asks if Dain ever touched her after he told her about Athebyne - shows her that he'd touch her cheek. She says he did, but he always touches her like that. 

They find a scroll from Colonel Aetos, Dain's father, that tells them their assignment is to stay alive. That's when they realise they have all been sent here to die. 

Chapter 36: The mission is a way to test their loyalty. If they choose to leave they can get to a new headquarters in time to compete in the War Games. But if they do leave then the village nearby will be killed by venin. They either leave or choose to help the village, which is outside the wards and technically an enemy village.

Liam says four venin are on their way, in purple robes.

The gryphon rider shows up and tells them to leave because if they stay they are likely to all be killed too. She reveals they lost a whole drift (squad) to only two of them as well as a whole city, so four could take everyone out easily.

Violet knows the choice is to live and leave like a coward or to stay and die like a rider should. Xaden tells them all that he is going to stay but he isn't making any of them stay. They can if they want but they can also leave. He doesn't want Violet to stay. 

Violet realises her mother knows the truth and never did anything - that she sacrificed her own son to keep it a secret.

Everyone else agrees to stay and so does Violet. Liam uses his gift to see what is happening down in the village, he sees three surrounding the city and attacking while one heads towards a clock tower in the centre. 

They can't kill venin with the dragon fire, they have to kill them with the special daggers they have. 

Then they see what they think is a gray dragon until it breathes blue fire and she realises it is a wyvern with only two legs. Xaden gives her another dagger that will kill the venin so she has two. 

She says Melgren can use his signet gift to know the outcome of the battle but Xaden reveals he can't see anything because of Xaden's own power.

Xaden tells her to live through this and he will tell her anything she wishes him too. She tells him she needs him to live too. 

They find a mine that they can use to evacuate villagers through. 

The venin can channel magic from the earth itself and have powers too. Violet keeps trying to use her lightning but she can't aim it. 

Watches as the venin channelling magic somehow also drains it from people, including one of their riders Soleil.

Violet finally manages to hit a wyvern with her lightning, which stops its heart and kill it.

Liam's dragon gets attacked by a wyvern and killed, meaning Liam is now dying. He makes Violet promise to look after his sister when she comes to the college next year. Xaden arrives and Liam tells him there are two riders with the dozens of wyvern that have shown up. Liam dies.

Violet needs to be the one to kill the riders while Xaden tries to hold off all the wyverns. He tells Violet that without her he is nothing. She lets anger fuel her and manages to hit one wyvern but then Tairn is attacked by another. 

Chapter 37: She sees that one of the venin has stabbed Tairn with a sword and has landed on his back. Violet has to stand on Tairn in order to fight the venin and try to kill it. The venin manages to stab her with a dagger. 

The venin says she wants to cut Violet open and see where all her power comes from or hand her over to her 'sage'. Violet realises that she is horribly outmatched and this venin is only a student. Xaden uses his power to help Violet, putting her and the venin in darkness. She sneaks up on the venin and stabs her, which causes the venin to fall of Tairn. 

Violet is burning from the wound in her side. She sees wyvern are dropping dead because she killed one venin. Realises Liam had worked out that when you kill a venin, any of the wyvern they made will then drop dead. 

She begs Xaden to drop his wall of shadows, asks him to trust her and he does.

Violet takes more and more power from Tairn and even a little from Andarna so she can fill the sky with lightning and manage to control at least one strike to hit the venin she needs to take out.

She sees Xaden take out the last venin just as she falls from Tairn's back.

Chapter 38: Andarna has stopped time and come after Violet, she has her on her back even though she can't carry her. They make it to the ground and Xaden catches her, realising she has been poisoned by something on the venin's dagger.

She can hear them all talking but can't speak, and the poison has cut her off from her magic and being able to communicate with Xaden, Tairn or Andarna. They need to get her to a healer but can't make it back to their own, Xaden says he knows somewhere else they can go. Garrick says it will put them all at risk if they go but he doesn't care.

Xaden begs her to fight it because he has fallen for her and he needs her to live. 

She hears a familiar voice but can't place it. 

Chapter 39: The note at the start of this chapter is the last words of Xaden's father before he died, which was him calling them all cowards.

This chapter is from Xaden's POV. It has been three days and Violet still isn't awake. He regrets not telling her he fell for her before this happened but he'd been scared.

She finally wakes up. And she kisses him. He promises to make everything up to her and when she asks what he means, he realises she might not remember everything.

Andarna is bigger now and her gift is gone but they don't know why.

She gets to the window of the room she is in and realises they are in Aretia, a place they have been rebuilding. But Violet knows it was burnt to the ground. He explains how they are rebuilding it. 

Violet figures out why more than three rebels can't meet up - Melgren can't see what they are doing when there is more than three of them. Violet orders Xaden to leave the room so she can get dressed.

He does and goes to speak to Garrick. They've discovered a small iron box beneath the clock tower that the venin were clearly after.

Violet invites Xaden back in. Before he tells her everything, he asks if she is with them and willing to fight and she says she is. But when he reaches for her she steps back. Says she is willing to fight with him but can't be with a man she no longer trusts. He insists he will spend every day earning it back.

Someone knocks on the door - it is Brennan. He is alive and he mended her.

I hope you find this useful!

  

Iron Flame Recap / Summary 

Iron Flame Recap / Summary

Part One

Chapter 1: The opening note for this chapter tells us Aretia was originally burned in the Unification year 628th, which was 6 years ago.

Violet is in a kitchen in Aretia eating with her brother, Brennan. She was unconscious for three days and missed her 21st birthday. Her brother now goes by the surname Aisereigh. When Brennan leaves to go to a meeting Violet follows after him. 

Bodhi and Imogen are also listening at the door. Only need 5 of the 7 Assembly members there to cast a vote, 4 votes needed for anything to pass. Brennan is in the meeting along with Xaden, as well as a man named Major Ferris, women called Trissa and Suri.

They can't creat a weapons forge yet because they need a 'luminary' and are currently in talks to try to get one from someone called Viscount Tecarus but Xaden won't agree to his offer.

Suri is angry when she finds that Violet is listening - she doesn't believe she can be trusted but Xade has vouched for her already. Refer to what he had to do as brutal custom but Violet doesn't know what that means.

Chapter 2: Opening note: There is a valley above the Riorson house that is the hatching place for the Dubhmadinn Line, which both Codagh and Tairn come from.

This is where Brennan has spent the last 6 years when everyone believed he was dead. Naolin was Tairn's previous rider, who they are told was killed trying to save Brennan. What people don't know is that Naolin did succeed in bringing Brennan back, even though it killed him.

Brennan came here because he can't stand by while innocent people are killed, especially knowing that their kingdom knows and ignores that it is happening.

There are two types of wyvern that they have seen so far - one breathes blue fire and the other is a little faster and breathes green fire. He believes they have only 6 months before the venin and wyvern numbers grow enough for them to attack Navarre.

Brennan believes Aretia may have a wardstone that is inactive, even though they believed only one was made. They don't currently know how to get it working again.

Violet finally gets taken to see her dragons and she finally sees what has happened to Andarna. She has doubled in size and is now black, as dragons are only gold when young. Using her power to stop time has forced her to age quicker than she should. She will need to get back to Vale and go into a type of hibernation until she can finish the process.

Violet wants them to return to the college, as she believes all rebellion kids will be killed if they don't. Brennan doesn't want her to go as he thinks she will be executed if she does.

Violet learns the names of the three other rebel kids with them Eya, Ciaran and Masen. 

Xaden will work to teach Violet to keep up her shields so Dain can't use his powers on her.

Chapter 3: Opening note: Just a note about how the Riders Graduation is very boring compared to the others.

They have flown back to Basgiath. 

Tells Tairn to pass a message to Sgaeyl that she wants to talk to Xaden. Xaden points out she could have said it to him in her mind but she no longer wants to do that with him.

She asks Xaden if the rebels or revolution as they call it, have any scribes in it but he confirms they don't. 

First thing her and Xaden do when they return is go to Liam's room and Violet grabs the letters he keeps under his bed so she can hide them in her room to stop them being burnt. Once someone dies, it is expected that all their possessions be burned. She runs into Rhiannon and Ridoc and she asks Rhiannon to keep them hidden for her, just in case they are executed.

She questions how he can lie to those he cares about as it is something she will need to learn to do. He still insists he didn't lie, he just didn't tell the whole truth. She reminds him he promised he will tell her everything she wants to know but he stipulates he will tell her everything she wants to know about him, which is different to what he said.

She tells him she needs complete honesty from him about everything or she won't be able to forgive him or be with him. 

They arrive to death roll just as their own names are being read out.

Chapter 4: Opening note: Dreamless sleep is what they call the hibernation that dragon young go into. All humans know about it is that it is vital and the time it lasts varies for each dragon breed. 

Violet's mother is confused why they were added to the death roll when they are all clearly still alive. 

Xaden tells of how Aetos sent them off to fight - how they were sent to Athebyne but then lies and says they were attacked by gryphons and that Liam amd Soleil both died.

Aetos is angry and comes to speak to Xaden and Violet but Xaden knows he can't truly accuse them of anything without revealing to everyone that they know about venin and wyvern.

Dain comes running towards her seemingly relieved to find she's alive but when he tries to reach for her she warns him not to touch her or she'll cut his hands off. 

Xaden is determined to deal with Dain his way, so in front of everyone he makes a point to say that everyone knows Violet has chosen him and not Dain. 

Then Graduation begins and all third years will now be made lieutenants in the army and be told where they will be sent. Xaden gets his and he tells Violet he will come see her before he has to leave in the morning.

Violet is now officially a 2nd Year, and of 11 in her original squad only her, Nadine, Sawyer, Ridoc and Rhiannon made it through.

Chapter 5: Opening note: Major Burton Varish caused three deaths of prisoners while interrogating them and so was moved from his wing because of it.

Riders are celebrating graduation. Xaden shows up to say goodbye. Has to be out of his room tonight which is why he is leaving before morning as he knows Violet won't offer to let him sleep in her bed for the night. She says she won't until he is willing to give her complete honesty. 

Xaden is being sent to the frontlines.

Colonel Aetos introduces them to Major Varrish, who will be their new vice commandant. They give her and Xaden orders from Melgren. Her orders say she can have 2 days leave every two weeks to go and see Xaden and Xaden's likely says the same thing about Violet. It means they will get to see each other every 7 days, when their dragons don't spend more than 3 days apart usually. 

Aetos says he is no longer worried about what Xaden and Violet know as the knowledge will die with them.

Chapter 6: Opening note: Quadrants are supposed to obey one Code of Codex but riders follow the Codex more and essentially get their own rules to follow.

Aetos has essentially threatened to kill both of them, as well as making a threat to Mira's life too.

She realises he is stationed a days flight away which means when they do meet, it will only be for a few hours before one of them has to fly back.

He warns her she can only trust those who were with them in Resson. 

He leaves without even kissing her as she still doesn't trust him.

Dain has been made their wingleader now Xaden is gone. Rhiannon is now their squad leader.

Chapter 7: Opening note: Anytime someone requests a text from the Archives it is noted down.

It has been 5 days since Xaden left and the new first years will arrive the next day.

They have a new professor, Professor Grady who teachers the Rider Survival Couse on how to survive if they fall off their dragon. It is kept secret as they have two tests to do and pass before they can make it to third year.

They will be trained in how to survive and how to withstand torture - will be taken at some point and tested on that too. 

Violet plans to defy Xaden's request for her not to get involved with what the rebelion are doing and instead heads to the archives to see Jesinia. She asks if they have books on when the college was founded and why they chose it as the location for the wards. She finds her two books on it. 

Chapter 8: Opening note: From Brennan's book talking about how hard it is to watch the First Years on the parapet as you have to watch them die.

Xaden left her books on weaving fabric into knots and even left her fabric to practice with and she has no clue why.

Violet recognises one of the first years and refers to him as Cam, but he gives the name Aaric Graycastle. Aaric is his middle name and Graycastle is one he made up. He is someone Violet has known since childhood, and who obviously doesn't want anyone to know that he is actually King Tauri's son. His father doesn't know his doing it and likely won't be happy, since he already lost a son at the college a few years ago.

Liam's sister Sloane shows up and Violet helps her even though she shouldn't. Sloane knows who she is and know how her brother really died and blames her for it. She makes it across the parapet.

Violet notices that Ridoc has got a tattoo - it is of a swordtail. 

Sloane is placed in First Wing until Dain has her moved to theirs instead.

Major Varrish's dragon is orange, called Solas and only has one eye. Three first years try to run and he burns them, but doesn't care that Violet and her wing are in the way so they have to duck to try to avoid it. Solas ends up killing over half of their third squad. Violet's back is burned but it didn't go through her armour.

Ciaran was one of the people burned to death.

Tairn shows up when Solas goes to take out someone else who is running. He is there to confront Solas for burning Violet. Solas flies off and Tairn reveals he threatened to kill Varrish if Solas hurts her again. Also reveals he is the one who took his eye. 

Chapter 9: Opening note: The mountains of Steelridge range where Basgiath college now is and so are the wards was originally the breeding ground for green dragons from the Uaineloidsig line.

Violet has been having nightmares - mostly about the one venin that escaped them at Resson, the Sage. She goes running every morning as she can't sleep and because she knows she isn't a strong runner and needs to improve if she's going to survive.

Battle Brief is next and they learn about two new gryphon attacks. One happened in Sipene, a place not far from Montserrat. And the second was on Athebyne. The shock of them talking about it makes her shields slip until Tairn reminds her to put them up again.

Violet goes to Bodhi, tells him she wants to help but he tells her Xaden has given him instructions to make sure she doesn't. 

Rhiannon talks to Violet and reveals she thinks the college is hiding something from them. She believes something is happening in the Healer Quadrant because she took an injured 1st year there and he was ushered away behind a guarded door.

Sloane is put to face off with Aaric on the mat but wants to fight Violet instead but is refused. A first year boy, one they saw cruelly throw someone from the parapet, comes forward when he hears Violet's name. Nadine jokingly pretends to be her and the first year grabs her and snaps her neck.

Chapter 10: Opening note: Some join the Riders Quadrant because they've been paid to go in and kill someone. Someone tries to assassinate Mira but she managed to kill them.

Nadine is dead and Violet is angry. She tells everyone to not interfere while she fights the boy who killed her. She quickly makes work of using her daggers - throwing two at him and cutting the tendons by his knee with others. He grabs her and she manages to break his nose but he still won't let go. Manages to get hold of her and squeeze her throat.

And as he tries to kill her he repeats what Aetos said to her and Xaden about their secrets dying with them and she realises he is who sent him to kill her. His eyes are red-rimmed and it appears he might be under the influence of some kind of substance.

Violet manages to use a dagger t stab him over and over again in his kidneys, killing him and saving herself. Violet is in a lot of pain and has a concussion.

She doesn't leave after and watches the rest of the challenges. Sloane isn't a good fighter and now she's worried she might not make it through.

When it's over she goes to her room and Xaden is there - he was supposed to come the day before but didn't. She asks Xaden about Samara where he is posted. He has to prove himself again and is treated differently because of who he is, who his father was.

She asks about the wards on her room as Rhiannon couldn't get in but he says she can bring anyone in as long as she's touching them when they come in. 

She tells Xaden about Sloane and why she hates her. But Xaden believes he is to blame for Liam dying.

Xaden has to leave to do things and tells her to sleep. He gives her a piece of paper, tells her this is one of the ways he can start to let her in. He says he will see her in Samara and gives her directions to his room, which is also warded but his room will only let him or Violet enter.

She realises what he gave her is a letter from him.

Chapter 11: Opening note: From the letter Xaden gave her that tells her Garrick is his best friend and then Liam and Bodhi are his next closest friends. 

It has been three days since Xaden left and she is still running with Imogen every morning. Jesinia shows up to talk to Violet. She gives her a book about the first riders that she wanted. She also says she needs Violet's help - she's trying to translate a book from Old Lucerish, which is one Violet knows how to read.

She suddenly sees a 2nd year Third Wing student being dragged away by two riders and Professor Markham. Jesinia believes it is her fault because that student had requested a book from the Archives and she had noted it down but won't tell Violet what book he requested.

Mira sends Violet a letter and she's disappointed it wasn't from Xaden. Rhiannon asks if they are still together and she says no. While she can't tell her the full story, she does say it was because he lied to her and she can't trust him.

She notices a bunch of her sister's letter has censored so she can't read it. 

Varrish comes to speak to her - he heard about the assassination attempt and mocks her for almost being killed by a first year. He mentions Andarna and that he finds it weird that her father was writing about feathertails and now she has ended up with one. 

They will need to learn how to do a 'running landing' which is getting off their dragon while it is moving. It won't be easy for Violet to do.

Violet has to leave to go to Xaden - Bodhi tells her to pass along that the next shipment is almost complete and that it is raw. Tries to tell Violet he has never seen Xaden care for anyone like he cares for her and then says not even for Catriona and she asks who that is but he won't say.

Bodhi fended off his own assassination attempt and other rebel kids have also been attacked.

She's about to mount Tairn when Varrish appears to tell her she needs to delay her leaving. He wants to search her bag before she leaves. Realises afterwards that Xaden and Bodhi knew it would happen. Luckily they didn't check Tairn, who has two bags on him.

Chapter 12: Opening note: From one of Xaden's letter, Sgaeyl says she chose him after she saw him kill a student that was bullying Garrick.

She makes it to Samara and Xaden's room but he isn't there. She uses their bond to find him and he is out sparring with another rider. She speaks to someone in the crowd watching to find out what is going on and learns they are fighting for the only pass available to them this weekend.

Xaden is easily winning before he spots Violet and gets distracted. She finally speaks to him through the bond to tell him to stop toying with the other guy, Jarrett, and win. He earns 48 hours off but tells them he only needs 24, which is how long he will have with her.

She wants him but knows she shouldn't. She does ask him to kiss her though and he does. But then she wants more and tries to convince him they can keep it to just sex. But he can't do it, as he wants what they used to have and knows he won't get that by sleeping with her.

He says he is happy to kiss her whenever she wants but can't sleep with her until she can give him all of her and can tell him she loves him again.

She asks Xaden about the daggers they made to kill venin. They are made from same material that powers wards. A part of the dagger is an alloy, one that can hold power. This is what can hold power and make the wards stronger. It needs to be imbued with power and when it is used up they need to do it again.

They need to smelt the alloy to make more daggers which is why they want an armory at Aretia. A dragon can fire a crucible but hey need the luminary to make the fire hot enough to smelt the alloy.

Chapter 13: Opening note: Academic punishments are given by the commandant's officer. 

Violet returns to Basgiath and is summoned to see Carr and Varrish - Varrish had ordered her to bring Andarna to a flight lesson and she didn't, so he wishes to punish her for it. He has her practicer her lightning powers over and over again. She is starting to burn herself out though as they are pushing her past her current limits.

After 40 strikes she collapses and Tairn demands they finish. Varrish orders her to do one more strike and she does but she gets an arm cramp that makes her hold the power and not release it like she should. She can't stop it, which means it will kill her. But she manages to cut it off.

Tairn takes her to water to try and cool her down. If Andarna doesn't come to the next lesson than the next punishment will likely kill Violet.

Navil Jacek is the student Markham took for requesting a certain book - he was then found dead in his room and Violet believes they killed him.

Sloane hasn't improved and now Violet is worried she won't survive her first challenge.

Violet is walking to a physics lesson when a bag is thrown over her head and she loses consciousness

. 

Chapter 14: Opening note: Infantry and Riders struggle to trust each other or work together.

Violet wakes up - was taken as part of the RSC training along with some others. They are now in a forest. It is her, Rhiannon, Sawyer and Ridoc.

Xaden and Sgaeyl are due to arrive the next day so if it takes longer than that she tells Tairn to leave without her to see Sgaeyl.

There are also infantry students with them too. 

Professor Grady shows up and advises them to hydrate but when they drink from the flasks they realise they've been drugged with something that cuts off their connection to their dragon and signet powers too.

Violet's squad is paired up with 4 infantry cadets called Tomas, Brisa, Mirabel and Cohen.

The riders and infantry are both given a map and told they will need to work together to use the skills they learnt in class to get to an extraction point on the map in order to succeed. Also have a few medics with them and a scribe, Aoife.

There are two groups taking part and the dragons from the other group will be trying to hunt them down.

It takes them far too long to realise they have been given two completely different maps and that's why they aren't having any luck figuring out where to go.

They come across Jack Barlowe's dragon who still hates Violet for killing him. This encounter ends with one of the students, Tomas, getting killed before the dragon leaves.

Chapter 15: Opening note: Just a warning in Brennan's book about how bad the RSC course is.

By the end of the next day they still haven't found the extraction zone and Violet has missed seeing Xaden. Dyre, one of students who is with Violet's team, says he owes her a debt because she saved him from Jack's dragon.

Rhiannon tells Violet that she has noticed something is up with her and that she is pulling away from people and acting differently.

They are eventually picked up the next day having failed to complete the task.

Tairn reveals this is the first year they took away the connection to the dragons and signet power. No one is happy about it, as it means they could technically do it whenever they want. 

Chapter 16: Opening note: Another letter from Xaden, this time revealing his dad wanted him to join the infantry like he did.

Violet goes to the archives to ask Jesinia what book Jacek wanted that got him killed. He had asked for information on a border attack the archive has no record of, even though he swore it happened as he had family that were killed in the attack.

Jesinia admits she has never reported any of the books Violet has requested, even though she should. After she asked for the folktales and they didn't have it, Jesinia realised the Archives are incomplete and that it might be intentional.

Jesinia agrees to help Violet but wants something in return.

Sloane is going to be made to have her first Challenge against a student called Dasha. Violet knew she wasn't strong enough to win so poisoned Dasha in order to help her. She tells Sloane what she did after the fight and tells her she will have to train with Imogen to get better. Sloane doesn't want to agree until Violet tells her she has 50 letters Liam wrote to her and she can earn them one a week by going to train with Imogen.

Jesinia brings Violet a book on the First Six and we find out what she wanted in return is to read the book of folktales.

Violet is about to leave to fly to Xaden when Varrish shows up to check her things. When she finally gets to Samara she finds out Xaden is on 24 hour duty somewhere she has no clearance and can't see him.

Chapter 17: Opening note: To create Navarre and the wards the dragons lost one of their hatching areas and humans lost a lot of lives while migrating there.

Xaden & Violet believe they are purposefully being kept apart as a punishment.

Rhiannon gets a letter from her parents showing a public notice from their village about being wary of strangers. Markham takes it off her.

Chapter 18: Opening note: From the book on the First Six she learns they pushed the wards as far as they could to make Navarre.

Xaden shows up the next Saturday earlier than expected and she's in her room going over her books. When he realises she is doing research on the First Six, he gets angry and realises Brennan told her about the wardstone in Aretia. He's not happy she's researching classified things in the Archives.

She eventually agrees to let him come meet Jesinia so he can see for himself that Violet can trust her. They run into the mender, Nolan, who looks terrible.

Xaden learns she let Jesinia take the book of folktales and is angry, again - so far this book is mainly these two having the same exact fight every time they meet up and apparently they're not exhausted by it but I am!

They have another fight where he accuses her of shutting him out when he's trying to be more open. But then she realises he wants her to tell him she loves him again but he has never, not once, told her he loves her. 

He storms off and then leaves without saying goodbye.

Chapter 19: Violet has flight training again and Andarna still isn't there but when Varrish tries to punsih her again, Tairn fights back. He attacks Varrish's dragon, Solas, and gets her by the neck and threatens to kill her if Varrish doesn't agree to not punish Violet. He agrees but Tairn also makes him get down on his knees and apologise to her too. 

Chapter 20: Opening note: Another letter from Xaden where he says he forgot what it was like to be loved after his father was killed. He came to the college and became the brutal person he needed to be but remembered what it was like after Violet told him she loved him. 

Violet flies to Samara and Xaden comes to find her right away and tells her she needs to ask him to kiss her in front of everyone or she may be made to sleep in a different room. She has no idea what he is going on about but gives in and kisses him.

Mira shows up - she has been moved to Samara. 

Violet asks Mira about the wards because her signet power is that she's a shield and can also extend the wards. She can't tell her much though as a lot of information on the wards is classified. 

She brings up the wyvern to Mira, testing the waters and trying to get her to guess because she wants to tell her about them and also Brennan being alive. Mira just thinks she's sleep deprived and we, the audience, learn that maybe Xaden is right not to want to tell her everything because she can't keep her mouth shut.

Xaden returns from his duty to find her in bed, struggling to sleep. They decide to talk rather than fight. She admits that she almost told Mira and that he was right not to trust her. She asks him about the book on knots and he says he can tie every single one of them and thought she could learn. She opens up about her nightmares. 

She asks what the alloy is and is surprised when he tells her. It is Talladium, a few other ores and also contains dragon shells, which have magic.

Chapter 21: Violet can't do rolling dismounts and is now in a sling as she got injured trying. Tairn says they will need to make adjustments for her so she can graduate.

She has started learning to tie the knots in her spare time.

There was an attack in the East and Masen was killed. He is the 4th perso who was in Resson with her that has now died/been killed and many others including her have been attacked. 

Dain tries to talk to her and when she continues to refuse he uses his rank to get her paired against him on the sparring mat. He talks while they fight and denies knowing what his father was going to do. She says she can never forgive him for taking her memory and then telling his father what he saw as he got Liam killed because of it.

He still insists she doesn't know everything about Xaden and tells her that her own mother was the one who put the 107 marks into Xaden's back.

Rhiannon makes her talk after the sparring session and she reveals how people who went with her have been dying or getting attacked. Tells Rhiannon that what Dain stole from her was a memory, revealing what his signet is to Rhiannon.

Rhiannon asks what killed Liam's dragon but Violet won't say and tells her she can't ask again.

Aaric breaks his wrist during his fight and Violet agrees to take him to the infirmary. She asks where the King believes he is and he says on a tour of the Kingdom for his 20th birthday.

Aaric knows what the Kingdom is doing - about venin and wyvern and that is why he is here. He realised after his guards started carrying around the new daggers.

Chapter 22: Violet dreams of the Sage, who says he has been waiting years for someone with her powers.

Xaden visits and is going to take her down to the forge so she can see where they get the weapons from that they smuggle out - he is trying to be more open. She in turn reveals she found a book that show the First Six carved the wardstones themselves.

She needs to find a text written by one of the Six and she is sure one must exist as her father spoke of it once.

Varrish intercepts them before they can reach the forge, she is supposed to be in interrogation training with the others but couldn't grab her because of the wards he put on her room.

Xaden doesn't want her to go because he thinks Varrish will kill her. She knows he can't stop it so she uses her connection with Sgaeyl to get him to let her go, even if he is unhappy about it.

Chapter 23: Violet is given a secret phrase that she has to resist giving up even under torture. She's put in a room with Rhiannon, Ridoc and Sawyer and get to ask questions to Professor Grady first, as well as eat and drink.

They can also try to get out of the torture by escaping, but no squad has ever managed it.

They are told to each share a secret before it begins - something else they will then need to keep secret. Rhiannon shares about when her and Violet snuck out. Sawyer's is that he never told his family he had to redo first year. Ridoc's is that he is scared of snakes.

Violet tries to say hers is that she loves Xaden, but the others insist it isn't a secret and everybody knows that. So instead she tells them that their infantry are killing Poromish civilians that try to cross their borders. 

Violet warns them not to drink the tea offered as she recognises the smell as the same thing that cut them off from their dragons and powers before. 

They are taken to another room where Rhi, Ridoc and Sawyer are chained to a wall and Violet is strapped to a chair in the middle of it. Two riders come in to start the interrogation, one with the signet power to tell when they're lying.

They beat them all and then leave. Varrish comes in and is angry they haven't broken yet and so he brings in Dain.

Chapter 24: Opening note: Every once in a while a squad come along that outshines everyone but then burns out very quickly and turn on each other.

Violet uses their connection to tell Xaden that Dain is there. He insists he is coming but when Violet realises that is exactly what Varrish wants, she tells him to stay away.

Varrish wants Dain to practice his powers on Violet and learn how to see memories that are before their most recent. Dain refuses and walks out.

Varrish punches Violet's dislocated shoulder and she passes out. When she wakes up she is being mended by Nolon.

He warns her that Varrish has extended their torture by another day and that they need to escape. Then he leaves, making up a lie to convince Varrish to leave with him. 

Ridoc melts the hinges off the first door so they can get back into the first holding room. The main door is also locked but Violet feels one of her daggers heat and when it presses against the door, the door unlocks.

Chapter 25: Opening note: A part of Panchek's journal that says if they ever wanted to invade Poromiel then they should first go to the Academy in Zolya where the gryphon riders are trained.

They become the first squad to ever escape the interrogation.

They attend Battle Brief and there is a notice informing them that two days ago Zolya was defeated by dragons with blue fire. About 10,000 people died.

Violet works out the notice was printed locally and wasn't approved. 

Markham pretends it is a piece of propaganda they were supposed to be studying. Then Markham announces what Nolon has been working on for months - he has managed to mend Jack Barlowe, the student Violet crushed under a mountain.

Jack is alive and still wants her dead.

Chapter 26: Opening note: Menders aren't the same as healers. Healers have a strict code to stick to but menders don't.

They announce there was an attack on Samara the night before and one rider was badly hurt. Violet believes it was Xaden and walks out of class to go to him, even though she doesn't have leave.

Chapter 27: Opening note: Rider's need to be able to fully control their shields by third year or they risk being controlled by their dragons emotions.

She immediately goes to find Xaden in Samara and finds him sparring against Garrick and seeming completely fine.

Violet starts to panic about what she did and why she came there, feels overwhelmed by Tairn's emotions.

Xaden drags her into a shower room to calm her down. He shows her his arm where he was clearly injured and almost lost it, but was mended. Tells her he would have done the exact same thing if it had been her who was hurt.

He realises she came because she was worried, which he takes as more evidence she loves him. He kisses her.

She tells him she wants him but he tries to deny her because she still hasn't said she loves him. But he eventually caves and they have sex. 

Afterwards he invites her to come drop some daggers off at a rendezvous point.

Chapter 28: Opening note: Gryphon riders don't have signets but do have powers.

Reach the meeting point and 7 gryphon riders arrive. One of them is Syrena, she was there at the lake in Resson. One of the women with them is looking at Xaden like she wants him.

Xaden questions the attack on Samara where he was attacked by a gryphon. They attacked because they wanted to try to get more daggers. He says if they steal any daggers from outposts then he will cut off every shipment to them.

The other woman is called Cat and she seems to not like Violet very much.

They question if Xaden would really let them die and he says he would if it meant saving his own people. 

Xaden says he is fighting, getting them weapons and currently building a forge to do more. Cat says he has had two chances to get a luminary from Viscout Tecarus and has turned it down and Cat blames Violet for that.

Syrena calls Cat by the name Catriona and she realises this is the woman that Liam once spoke about when he said he'd never seen Xaden care about anyone the way he cares for Violet, not even Catriona.

Chapter 29: Opening note: A recruit taking off without leave is likely to be executed or court martialled. 

Violet asks if Cat is his ex and he confirms she is.

She wants to know what the Viscount wanted for the Luminary and he says he wanted to see Violet use her powers. But Xaden doesn't trust that he wouldn't then try to take Violet.

She then tells him about Jack, the Zolya attack and the interrogation. He gives her his flight jacket to wear and gives her a new dagger to keep on her.

She flies back and Varrish is waiting for her. She signals to Rhiannon to get the dagger before he can find it and she manages to.

Professor Kaori shows up and accuses Varrish of abusing his power.

Violet is cleared of all charges for leaving when she did.

Rhiannon asks what the dagger is for and she finally tells her, Ridoc and Sawyer about the Venin.

Chapter 30: Opening note: Only riders and some assigned scribes can enter the Riders Quadrant, others do so at the risk of being killed.

She tells Rhi, Sawyer and Ridoc everything that ahppened with the venin but doesn't tell them about where she went after she was stabbed - so not about Aretia or Brennan being alive.

They quickly learn all their dragons already know but as the Empyrean is undecided on whether to help or not, no dragon will risk telling their rider.

They tell Violet they want to help her with the research into the wards.

Ridoc reveals he knows that the college has two journals from the First Six because he saw them noted down in a ledger in Violet's mum's office - also saw it is kept in an underground vault. 

She tells Jesinia about the journals and vault and she says she will try to find out where it is located.

She doesn't get to see Xaden for three weeks and it becomes clear that they are being kept apart as a punishment again.

During Threshing Aaris bonds to a Blue Clubtail and Sloane gets a Red Daggertail, like her brother Liam had.

Jesinia sends a note to meet - she's found the vault. Ridoc agrees to go and see her as Violet has a watch at the Academic Tower.

Violet reaches the top of the tower to relieve Eya when 4 people in infantry uniforms attack them. They are assassins, paid to take them both out - clearly Aetos is still trying to kill all the people who went to Resson.

She manages to take down three but Eya is stabbed and the fourth guy manages to throw her off the tower until she is clinging to the edge of it. He's about to push her completely off when someone stabs him through the throat.

Chapter 31: Jack is the one who saved her. He says dying and coming back gave him a second chance and made him change. He says they are even as now he has given her a second chance too.

Eya is dead.

Ridoc arrives and tells her Jesinia found the vault but they need someone from King Tauri's bloodline to get through it as it is a royal vault. 

Chapter 32: Xaden and Violet finally get to see each other and she tells him about how she told her squad everything. She also tells him the plan to break into the vault and he insists on coming too.

They will go with Ridoc, Sawyer, Bodhi, Imogen and Quinn but still need to get Aaric to work with them. 

She tells Aaric they need his help and he can refuse outright and leave but if he wants to know why and what they need his help with they will have to kill him if he doesn't agree because of the knowledge he will have.

Aaric doesn't want to help because he hates Xaden for killing his brother Alic. Xaden says his brother was a bad person an he doesn't regret it.

Aaric finally agrees because he hears they will be stealing from his father and he hates his father more than he hates Xaden. 

Jesinia says only four of them can come and they pick Xaden, Aaric, Violet and Imogen.

They have one hour to get to the vault, break in and take what they need before the archive closes for the night and the wards kick in and kill them.

Chapter 33: Vault is located behind a hidden door in the bookcases. They go down and find an open archway that leads to a small library of books, but the archway is warded and only one with royal blood can walk through it.

Aaric grabs Violet and drags her through with him so she can help him look. 

Aaric worked out they are looking to find a way to ward a rebel area.

Violet finds the journal but warded too so Aaric grabs them but it burns him, causing blisters on both his hands.

They are running for the door when the Archive begins to seal itself shut.

Chapter 34: Opening note: Another letter from Xaden - he had a fight with his father right before he died and he regrets that. His father wanted to send him away to protect it.

They make it out just in time.

Xaden will take 1 journal to Brennan so he can start translating too. 

Violet begins translating the other and notes it keeps mentioning an 'iron rain' when it comes to the wards and creating them.

Xaden leaves.

Nolon comes to see her as she is on his mending list and then he gives her a lemonade to drink. She realises too late it has been drugged with the stuff that cuts off her magic and link to her dragons.

Nolon betrayed her for Varrish.

Chapter 35: Violet wakes up and she is strapped to a chair. Nolon comes in with Varrish - they have the journal she stole and want to know why she took it. They also bring in a woman named Nara, who has the power to detect lies.

Varrish wants answers but she refuses to give him any so he begins torturing her by breaking her fingers.

She's been tortured by him over and over again and begins to have hallucinations of Liam.

She's been gone 2 days and it will be at least another 5 before Xaden even realises she is gone.

Varrish reveals his signet is that he can see people's weaknesses but couldn't see hers until he'd tortured her and he shields slipped. Now knows that hers is the people she cares about.

He took her knowing Xaden will come for her and abandon his post without leave to do it, which is what he wants. That will then allow him to punish and interrogate him next.

Dain is brought down and told he needs to look at her memories because she is part of a rebellion.

She's been tortured for 5 days and Varrish has heard that Xaden has abandoned his post.

Violet realises that when Dain touches her, she can choose to show him memories rather than having him see whatever he wants. She shows him the venin, wyvern and Liam dying. Then she remembers all the pain she's felt while being tortured which causes Dain to let go.

Dain only makes note of the fact she was stealing weapons and smuggling them to another kingdom. He then asks for the dagger from Varrish to confirm what he saw and then holds it to her throat.

She thinks he is going to kill her, but he was acting so he could get the dagger from Varrish. Then he attacks Varrish with it instead. 

Xaden finally arrives and kills Nara. 

Chapter 36: Xaden is furious. He straps Varrish down so that Violet can kill him, but she is too weak so Xaden helps her push the dagger into his heart. 

Xaden says they have to leave, but she points out that if he does that then he will lose everything he has worked for. But he says he would be happy to see Aretia destroyed if it meant that Violet got to live.

Xaden finally tells her he loves her and the he is glad that their lives are tied together because he wouldn't want to live without her. 

They leave the room and find her mum with a knife to Garrick's throat. She gives Violet the antidote so she can get her powers back. She then reveals Xaden has caused chaos by having dead wyverns dropped off at outposts along the border so they will learn about the wyvern.

Violet and her mum finally talk. She knows what is happening outside their borders but says she did what she had to in order to keep her children safe. 

She made Violet join the Rider Quadrant as she knew she'd eventually figure out the truth and if she was in the scribe quadrant, Markham would have killed her once he realised she knew. Instead she agreed to let Xaden and the other rebel children live as long as he agreed to join the Riders and keep Violet alive once she joined.

Before they leave, Violet wants to give the other students the chance to come with them. Dain quickly agrees to go with them.

Tairn says Andarna is still asleep and this is the longest a dragon has ever slept. 

Three dragons have agreed to carry out Jesinia and two other scribes.

Bodhi's power is that he can counter people's signets - he uses it to stop professors who arrive to try and stop them talking to the other cadets. 

A few professors agree to go with them, including Devera. She reveals she was the one who put the Zolya notice in Battle Brief.

They leave and over 100 cadets and 200 dragons agree to go with them. 

They arrive in Aretia

Part 2

Chapter 37: Opening note: Riorson House has never been breached by any army.

Violet has another nightmare about the sage and then wakes up in bed with Xaden. Brennan came and mended her the night before.

She wakes him and wants him to fuck her but he is worried that she is stealing. Violet goes down on him until he loses control and gives her what she wants.

Xaden & Violet need to meet with the Assembly, who are unhappy they brought so many as they weren't prepared for it and are worried it may mean they will be found.

The Assembly want to interrogate Violet but Xaden reminds them he took responsibility for her - shows a long scar on his chest. He also reminds them that they are on his land and in his home. 

Andarna finally wakes up.

Chapter 38: Andarna is awake but struggling - she can't fully extend her wings or fly currently. Tairn says it is complications from how often she had to be moved and woken up during the time she should have been sleeping. Andarna will never carry a rider.

They've started classes in Aretia for the cadets.

Violet has continued to translate the journal and it mentions blood magic.

They learn Generel Melgren prevented news of the wyverns getting to the public.

The family of the riders who came to Aretia will be offered the chance to come there too.

The venin have set up a base in Zolya.

A riot of dragons and riders are approaching and Mira is leading them. Mira says Xaden came for them all and that's why they're here. Mira apologises for not believing her when she tried to tell her about the venin. She says their mother showed up in Samara and told her the truth and gave everyone the chance to leave if they wanted and 40 chose to come to Aretia.

Brennan comes out and Mira punches him in the face after realising he has been alive the whole time.

Chapter 39: Opening note: From the journal of Warrick saying that the blood of the 'six and the one' is what got the wards to work.

Violet tells her siblings and Xaden that she believes she can get the wards working with the help of the 6 most powerful riders.

They head to the wardstone, which appears to be made of iron.

She believes they need to cut themselves and then touch it. 6 strongest are Violet, Xaden, Felix, Siri, Bodhi and Brennan. They do it but it doesn't work.

Violet wants to go to Tecarus to get the luminary but Xaden refuses again so she asks Mira for help.

Chapter 40: Opening note: Xaden's father's first ally was Viscount Tecarus.

Felix takes Violet to train how to aim her lightning strikes. He tells her she has no control, aim and hasn't even managed to shoot it from her hands, which he reveals should be possible.

Felix gives her a conduit to help siphon her powers whenever she gets too out of control so she doesn't risk hurting people.

Violet plans to go behind Xaden's back and go see the Viscount with Mira and Brennan.

Tairn agrees not to tell Sgaeyl until they are back. 

Brennan warns her to keep her shield up because even though the gryphon fliers don't have signets, they still have basic magic and a very good grasp on mindwork.

They arrive and are greeted by some fliers before Xaden shows up.

Chapter 41: Opening note: Queen Maraya has refused to marry and so she named her cousin Tecarus as her heir, even though he is in his 50s and has no heirs.

They're at the palace and she notes Xaden knows it well. He came when Sgaeyl sensed Tairn was travelling. 

Viscount wants them to change for dinner and asks his niece to help Violet - his niece is Cat. Violet realises that is why Xaden knows the place so well.

Xaden is angry Violet is there - tells her most people in the palace would happily kill her. 

Cat riles Violet up and makes her jealous by suggesting she knows Xaden better. 

When Violet gets to dinner, Xaden kisses her in front of everyone and then uses his shadows to hide them from everyone. He warns her that Cat has the power to heighten a person's emotions. 

Tecarus takes them outside so she can show her powers. He has a metal chest he wants her to hit with it. It's the Rybestad chest and it belonged to Xaden's father. 

Tecarus will give them what they want if she goes into the arena he has built and hits the target. But she can't leave till she does and Xaden can't enter it.

The chest was part of a different deal for an alliance with his father, but Xaden says it was a deal he officially turned down the year before.

The chest suddenly opens and a venin comes out of it.

Chapter 42: Opening note: Professor Carr believed Mira would never learn to produce her own wards and had only managed it when she was very upset.

Brennan and Mira join her in the arena to help. But the arena floor is wet so she has them get out and throws two daggers at the venin's feet to keep it in place and then hits the water with lightning as Tairn flies her out, killing the venin.

When she gets out she finds Xaden has the Viscount by the throat using his shadows. Violet stops him killing him. 

The arena was made from stones already drained by venin which is why it contained the venin and stopped it being able to drain anything outside of it. This shows this isn't the first one they've caught.

They agree to sit down and negotiate after Xaden forces Tecarus to apologise to Violet.

Tecarus wants Violet to be his personal bodyguard for two years and then he will let her go and live her life with Xaden somewhere away from the continent. They refuse that offer.

Then he says they can have the luminary if they agree to take 100 gryphon flier cadets to Aretia to train alonsider their riders.

Brennan agrees, as long as they are given 100 crossbolts as well.

Chapter 43: Opening note: The Cliffs of Dralor that they will need to get over to reach Aretia are 12,000 feet high in some places and the gryphon won't make it over them. There is one path they could try to use but it is deadly.

It's been 4 days since they made the deal and the luminary has already been dropped at their new forge.

Now all the Aretia cadets and gryphon fliers are now looking up at the Medaro Pass that Brennan needs them to use. Wants them all to hike it, while the dragons fly above as it is too narrow for them. 

Xaden has gone off on his own mission.

Violet gets assigned to help Cat's drift through the pass. She's paired up with a flier called Maren, who is Cat's best friend.

Maren reveals Violet was a ransom target for a very long time and many thought Xaden would take her during her first year but instead he showed up to defend her.

Sloane is with them and clearly doesn't like Cat because she knew her brother didn't like her and he liked most people. Sloane admits she doesn't hate Violet anymore. She's been reading Liam's letters and it up to the October when he got assigned as her guard.

There are traps along the pass tha they need to avoid. 

Fliers are chosen by the gryphons by going to the edge of Cliffsbane and jumping off as the gryphons fly past. If they managed to land on one and stay seated then it will bond with them. Failing doesn't equal death, they just land in the ocean below and swim back to shore and pick a different branch of service to join.

They all suddenly feel a weird pulse down their bonds - a draon has hatched in Aretia which every channeling creature within four hours of there will sense. 

There is one trap they have to jump over but one flier called Luella falls short and then over corrects, launching herself at Violet. Visia, Luella and Violet all go towards the edge. Ridoc saves Vi and she has to grab the other two, injuring herself in the process.

Ridoc got shot from arrows from the trap Luella set off. 

Chapter 44: Opening note: Gryphons bond for life.

They saved Visia but Luella falls from the cliff and dies. Her gryphon Cibbe then starts dying too. The noises it makes attracks a wyvern that grabs her and flies away.

They're up very high and the mist is thick so they can't see through it, but it seems the wyverns don't have as much of a problem. They get anyone with wind/weather powers to help get rid of it.

Violet gets on Tairn to go and try to fight the wyvern. They fly above the clouds and then she fires her lightning into it, killing all the wyvern inside of them. Her lightning is drawn to the wyverns magic.

Venin share thoughts with all they wyvern they've created so it means they will now know where they are and that they have gryphon fliers with them too.

Chapter 45: Opening note: The venin aren't just from the Barrens, they also recruited fliers who never bonded a gryphon.

Cat is still causing trouble for Violet - she knocked on Xaden's door in a silk robe and got annoyed when Violet answered.

Andarna has continued to grow and may be able to fly soon.

Rhi's family has arrived, as have other cadets families.

Professor Trissa calls all 2nd years to a lesson to learn how to channel their excess magic into runes that can then be placed into objects for different uses - like mage lights. 

Runes get tempered with power to do specific things. It isn't well known as it has been banned back in Navarre.

Cat is the first to do an unlocking rune.

Chapter 46: Xaden is back for a little while. She realises he put an unlocked rune on her dagger and that's why it opened the door in the interrogation room.

She asks about the rune by his bed - he says Liam's mum made them for all 107 rebel children and it was to protect them when their paretns went off to fight.

Fliers and riders will be put together for all classes and be expected to follow the Riders codex. Each squad of riders will have to take a drift of fliers.

Cat challenges Violet to a fight and once they start, she realises that Xaden had trained Cat too.

Chapter 47: Opening note: Venin have ranks. Initiates have red rings in their eyes that change when they drain. Asim's eyes changed to different shades of red and their veins swell when they are worked up. Sage's have permanent red eyes and swollen veins at their temples. Maven's are the highest rank and have never been captured.

Cat tries to get into Violet's head by talking about how she had Xaden first and knows what he likes in bed. She says she's a better fit for him than Violet is and that he will tire of Violet and go back to her.

Violet gets in some good hits and tells Cat it isn't her fault that Xaden doesn't love her but Cat says he can't love anyone and that she's fighting for a crown, not love. She insists she was engaged to him and won't give up and that he is only using Violet for sex.

Violet uses what Rhiannon taught her to get an advantage and begins to choke Cat. She would kill her but Xaden speak to her in her mind and it clears it enough for her stop.

Cat was cheating by using her mindwork on Violet. Violet has to ask Xaden to help her as can't let go of the hold she has on Cat's throat. Xaden does and then takes her to the Assembly room, kicking out everyone who is in there so they can be alone. 

Chapter 48: Opening note: The power that House Riorson once had was given to House Lewellen after the Treaty was signed.

Xaden heard everything that Cat said to her, including that she is just someone for him to fuck until he gets bored. Violet says Cat wants him for his name and Xaden says he loves Violet because she loves him despite of it and that is why he will always choose her.

He places her on his throne and then undresses her and goes down on her, then tells her he thinks about this when he's away from her.

She holds her conduit during so that it can help deal with the power that surges whenever they are together.

At points she gets glimpses into Xaden's mind and can hear exactly what he is thinking - how much he wants her and what he wants to do to her.

He wants to fuck her but won't, as he says this is just about her this time and for her to know that he doesn't just want her for sex. 

He admits he thought she was going to kill Cat and she says she was close to it. He says Cat is a necessary ally, but all he would have cared about was that Violet would regret it afterwards. 

She questions how he could ever love someone like Cat but Xaden says he never did and that Violet is the only person he has ever loved. He and Cat were betrothed as part of the alliance and it kicked in when she turned 20 so they tried for 9 months but it didn't work. He ended their engagement when he realises Tecarus had never planned to let them take the luminary.

Xaden insists on them talking everything out because he loves her and won't lose her again. 

Violet says Cat pointed out he is royalty and that Cat was right when she said he is a better match for him. Xaden realises even Violet thinks he believes she is inferior to Cat but he points out she saw into his head and knows exactly how he thinks of her and that he believes Violet is perfect.

Xaden warns her not to take off her daggers because one has a rune on it that protects her from Cat's powers.

Chapter 49: Opening note: Riders will keep their wings, sections and sqauds but will absorb one drift each and the drift leader will get to be executive officer.

Cat's drift is made to join Violet's squad, as they are both the strongest.

Violet asks Dain to help translate Warrick's journal as it is in a language he is much better with. Also wants his help imbuing the wardstone.

He asks if he loves Xaden and she says she does and so he says he will trust Xaden if she does. They agree to meet everyday to translate the journal. 

Chapter 50: Opening note: Riders never really master their signet power or reach the limit of it.

Violet is practicing with Felix.

Xaden returns. A local area, Pavis, has fallen to the venin. Many of his squad was injured and Myra, a wingleader, was killed. They believe the venin plan to take Driathus next.

Chapter 51: Violet goes to find Xaden to ask about what happened. He believes they are stretched too thin to be able to fight the venin.

Mira ordered his team to leave when she saw Xaden almost get killed. He believes it is because of his link to Violet - Mira doesn't want him to die because it would kill her. Xaden realises that is how so many have been treating Violet in regards to him.

Violet has realised her original translation was wronf - it wasn't iron rain. It was actually iron flame and where she thought it was saying blood, it was saying breath. She realises she was wrong - they didn't need riders, they needed dragons.

She goes to see Rhiannon to tell her she's figured out how to get the wards up but she's unsure if they should or not.

Chapter 52: They have got their squad together, including the fliers. Tells them they can get the wards up but that would leave the fliers unable to wield. She's giving them a chance to decide to stay or go. 

Violet dreams of the Sage again - tells her she'll end up destroying all the wards herself for love because if she doesn't then her and Xaden will both die.

They have another training mission - 30 runes have been hidden over 20 miles and they need to go and find them all. 

Xaden returns and she quickly tells him they will need dragons to raise the wards. 

Chapter 53: Opening note: Siphon is the only signet power where imbuing comes easily.

They are hiking down to a cave as a group and Andarna is with them. 

Sloane tells Violet is wasn't far for Liam to ask her to keep an eye on Sloane.

They look through the cave until they find the chest they are looking for. Then they run into Solas, the dragon. It attacks, killing Visia.

Chapter 54: Andarna wraps her wings around them to protect them from Solas breathing fire. Violet can't use her powers in the cave without hurting the others so will need to fight another way.

She throws a dagger in his other eye - making him move and giving enough space for the others to leave. She dropped and broke her conduit but is planning to use the jagged pieces of it to stab Solas and then wield her power into it. 

She gets thrown back by his tail, but Sloane and Cat stayed to help her. Andarna continues to fight Solas.

Sloane accidentally started to drain from Cat and Violet and begins to panic. Tairn explains she is a siphon. 

Andarna manages to kill Solas.

Xaden arrives when she is being healed in their room later. Is mad when he finds out she saved Cat because she is third in line, risking her own life to do it. She says it was for him, as Tecarus would order him to be killed if she died while with them. Xaden insists he would handle that if it happened, all he cares about is Violet living.

Chapter 55: Violet realises Xaden knows that she knows about the original deal he made with her mother. She's mad he hasn't said anything and he points out he told her to ask him whatever she wanted to know and she still hasn't.

They argue for a while then she says she wants to put him to the test that all she has to do is ask. She asks what his second signet is. She knows he has one as Sgaeyl was bonded to his grandfather and direct descendants bonded to the same dragon get a second signet or go mad.

Brennan interrupts them - wyvern are flying towards the cliffs and so they need to try to raise the wards. 

Chapter 56: They need a dragon from every den to help raise the wards. So they meet at the wardstone with 6 dragons who then aim their fire at the wardstone. They believe it has worked.

Xaden is stationed with her as they watch for the wyvern. He still hasn't told her his second signet - is worried she will fall out of love with him the minute she knows. Reveals no one else knows what it is.

She figures it out herself - Xaden is an inntinnsic and can read minds. He says he is a type of one, that he can read a person's intent. Tairn reacts poorly to the news to. Xaden thinks she already doesn't love him, but she says he better survive what is coming as she will be asking him everything and that her love isn't so easily lost.

There are 100s of wyvern heading towards them, 17 venin with them, including the Sage she is alwasy dreaming about.

A wyvern flies at them but it quickly drops dead - it entered where the wards start. They end up leaving after that.

Xaden and Violet are called to the Assembly room. Melgren has sent a message, he wants to meet with those in charge of the rebellion as well as Violet and Mira. 

Realise the fliers can still wield, which means the wards aren't completely working. 

Chapter 57: They go to meet Melgren at Athebyne, Volet's mother is with him. 

Melgren tells them that the venin will overrun them at Samara, he has seen it. They will come on solstice and the venin will win.

Melgren says if they fight with them and help them win then the king will give them all their independence and let them stay in wherever they have taken up residence.

Brennan shows up, revealing he is alive to their mother. He says they reject their offer and won't fight with them.

Violet is given Lyra's journal by her mother, but it is in a language she can't translate but Jesinia can. She warns Violet that the wards they built will erode over time and fail, as Warrick was hiding how to get them to work properly.

They take her advice to cut open one of the dead wyvern and find a stone inside with a rune on it. 

Chapter 58: Xaden has returned after a week away and has her meet him in the sparring gym. 

He comes up with the rule that they can't fight in their bedroom, which is why he has her come to the gym to talk. Gets her to come up with her own rule for them - she says it is complete honesty for them going forward. She doesn't need to ask, he needs to just tell her. He agrees.

She asks about his mother. She left when he was 10 as her marriage contract stated she had to stay until an heir survived that long. She left, didn't take him with her and never came back. 

Asks when he got the second signet and he says a month after his first. Had already seen a first year get killed for reading minds so knew not to tell anyone. 

They go ot Battle Brief - 500 wyvern and a bunch of venin have been at the border for three days, getting ready to attack Samara. Violet suddenly works something out and leaves, looking for Xaden.

She has realised Melgren hasn't seen the real outcome because they will need to go and he can't see it if more than three of the marked rebel kids are there. She says Samara is the distraction, the venin are waiting for the wards to fall and going after Basgiath and the Vale.

She says they have to go back and help otherwise they are just as bad as Melgren and the others.

 

Chapter 59: Xaden went to the Assembly to change their minds but they won't, but they all still plan to go.

They ride to Basgiath. Violet's mum finds them and they tell her they believe the fight is coming to them and that the wards will fall but she doesn't believe it.

They go to check and find the two guards dead who should be guarding it. They run towards the wardstone - and unlike the one they got working, this one is on fire, with a black flame coming out the top of it. A dragon, Baide, is there.

Jack is on Baide's back and he tells them they arrived just in time. He then uses his dagger to stab Baide in the neck, having her blood fall over the wardstone and snuffing out the fire. The wardstone falls over and the wards drop.

Chapter 60: Jack killed his own dragon. He believes he can survive without it. Xaden realises that Jack is venin - and that Nolon has been trying to mend him the whole time.

She realises he has been venin since before he challenged her. The wards don't block out all power so they can still get some from the ground. They knock him out and Nolon gives him the signet killing potion to help subdue him.

They only have 10 hours before the venin show up. The venin will know where they are as Jack planted lures all over Basgiath.

They sleep as much as they can before the batle. Brennan shows up the next morning, has brought fliers with him.

Violet wants them to work to give Brennan time to try and mend the wardstone.

Chapter 61: Opening note: A note from a study on the venin that says they believe when someone turns venin it heightens one of their senses. They believe the venin that killed King Grethwild had a kenner eyesight because it could see through the darkness it hid within to kill the king. (Shadows like Xaden wields?)

Jesinia came too - is in the Archives comparing Warrick and Lyra's journals to try and figure out what went wrong with the wardstone in Aretia. She might be their only hope at getting the wardstone back up and running properly if Brennan mends it. 

The wyvern horde flies at them and Violet starts taking them out with lightning. 

A venin jumps onto Tairn to fight Violet but she is stuck in her saddle. Rhiannon jumps on to help. 

Chapter 62: Opening note: The best way to kill a dragon is to kill their rider.

Violet uses a crossbow to take out the venin. 

It seems most venin stayed back so they can launch a 2nd wave.

Sawyer and his dragon are being attacked - Sawyer's leg is bitten off by the wyvern. 

Violet cuts herself out of her saddle and jumps to Ridoc's dragon, gives him the crossbow and then jumps to Sawyer's next. She grabs Sawyer and then falls off, banking on Tairn catching them which he does.

Brennan has mended the stone.

A venin appears and Cat comes to help Violet fight it. She kills it with lightning and then another appears. This one seems to have powers and destroys her conduit.

The venin is about to kill Violet when Andarna suddenly appears.

Chapter 63: Andarna kills the venin by finally breathing fire. Violet was sure she saw her scales change to match the mountain.

Jesinia finds her - the translations vary in one aspect and that is that one says they need 7 dragons for the wardstone to work and the other says 6. But as far as they know there are only 6 dens - red, orange, brown, green, black & blue.

Violet believes she now knows how to get them working.

Xaden says the remaining venin are waiting for him before they launch the final attack.

Chapter 64: Violet tells Xaden she only has the power to raise the wards in one place - Basgiath or Aretia and he has to choose. He picks Basgiath because it is where she currently is and he loves her and can't live without her.

Violet goes to talk to Codagh, to ask the dragon to come to the wardstone but also to confirm a secret she believes she has figured out.

She asks Tairn to stay and protect Xaden.

Andarna isn't a black, she's the 7th den. She can change the colour of her scales. She says she waited 655 years to hatch and when she heard the dragons talking about Violet she knew she was the rider she wanted.

Violet tries to quickly imbue the wardstone but it is killing her. Her mother appears and kicks her away to stop her killing herself to do it.

Instead she convinces Sloane to use her siphone powers on her to do it.

Violet drops her shields to talk to Xaden and realises he is dying.

Violet's mum sacrifices herself to inbue the stone and get it working again.

Chapter 65: Opening note: A letter Violet's mum wrote to their dad saying that if she was to die it would be to protect their children.

She finally goes to find Xaden and he is acting strange. When he turns to look at her she sees his eyes have a red ring around them - he has turned venin. 

Chapter 66: Opening note: Nolon's jounral notes that a venin can't be cured, only controlled. 

Xaden's POV - He is having a nightmare about what happened during the battle. He was fihgting the Sage and was close to burning out. 

The Sage, who reveals he is a general, says he always knew Xaden would turn for love and he is about to.

Xaden can feel down the bond that Violet is slipping away and i about to sacrifice herself to save him.

The Sage taunts him, saying once he has killed Xaden he will hunt Violet down and drain her. 

Xaden can't kill the Sage without draining power from the earth so he does it. 

He wakes in bed next to Violet and sneaks down to see Jack. He asks him what the cure is but Jack tells him there isn't one and that now all he will do is crave more and more power. 

THE END

Thank you, I hope this was useful! And here are my other recaps I have done so far.

Throne of Glass recaps:

Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight

Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn
Kingdom of Ash

ACOTAR recaps:

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Frost and Starlight

A Court of Silver Flames

Crescent City recaps:

House of Earth and Blood

House of Sky and Breath

House of Flame and Shadow

Red Rising Recaps:
Red Rising
Golden Son

Fourth Wing Recaps:
Fourth Wing
Iron Flame
Onyx Storm